Chapter 52: A Paragon of Her Kind pt2

940, 45th day, 5th year of the reign of King Valtor: I have done it. The vision the ancestors gave me has come to fruition. Today a man sat up from my forge, a man of living stone and steel. I called him golem, for the legend of those great statues animated by the dead. They are our future and our salvation.

940, 60th day, 5th year of the reign of King Valtor: It is a horrific process. Not every man could do such a thing and survive with his mind intact. I am honored that the ancestors believe I have the strength to bear this burden and forge Orzammar's defenders. Nothing so great may be achieved without sacrifice. Nor may stone and steel walk without a spirit to animate them.

940, 73rd day, 5th year of the reign of King Valtor: I have asked for volunteers. Some few answered, men of the Warrior Caste, younger sons with no property, no chance for marriage. They want to defend Orzammar from the horrors these humans have unleashed. They want to live forever in a body stronger than the finest armor. They do not ask to speak with those who have gone before. I have put off saying this, even in these pages. But I must say it now. My golems will be powered by their deaths. These brave warriors come to me, naked as the day they were born. I dress them in a skin of armor, so large it makes the burliest look no more than a babe, the anvil their first and final cradle.

We are surrounded by a mile of earth on all sides. No one hears the screams as I pour molten lyrium through the eyeholes, the mouth, every joint and chink in the armor. They silence quickly, but the smell lingers, just a trace of blood in the greater stench of hot metal. I must work fast. The armor is malleable now, as I shape it with hammer and tongs. It is not long before it moves beneath my hands, writhing and twisting with every blow. It speaks again now, a low moan, but I have learned to tune it out. I can afford no error in this craft. There can be no melted slag blinding the eyes, nor an unhewn bit of granite shackling the leg. They groan at my work, but would they rather be broken, crippled? Those I have spoken to tell me of the pain, but could they see themselves, they would see perfection.-From the journal of Caridin.

The Deep Roads-Ortan Thaig

Ortan Thaig is an ancient thaig located somewhere beneath Ferelden. It used to be the ancient home of House Ortan. A prominent member of House Ortan was Caridin, who created many things during his time and eventually rose up to Paragon status for creating the Anvil of the Void and thus left the House Ortan to found his own house. The house was formally declared extinct four hundred years ago during the Fourth Blight, when the Ortan Thaig fell to the darkspawn. After fight through hordes of darkspawn at Caridin's Cross, the party eventually made it to Ortan Thaig. The thaig smelled of death and corruption, whatever majesty it once held was long gone…this was now a nest of the darkspawn. Oghren looked on at the ancient city with melancholy…something the party was not used to with the often rowdy dwarf even someone as wild as him could feel the tragedy of this ruin.

"By the tits of my ancestors, Ortan Thaig…I never thought I'd see this place in the flesh" he said. Oghren look to a wall to his right and saw that small chunks were taken out of it. "I can see Branka all over this place; she always took chips from the walls at regular intervals when she was in a new tunnel…check their composition"

"If she was still here, though, she'd have sentries out by now"

"We may have to face the possibility that Branka and her people are dead…" Jenra said.

"Well, aren't you a sodding bright spot today? If everyone's dead, there'd be evidence of a major battle, wouldn't there?" Oghren said. "Three hundred or so dwarves don't just fade away, they must be farther up"

"Then let us go, then"

"Couldn't have said better myself" The party continued on, while walking they saw dozens of darkspawn corpses littered across the floor. Alistair went to investigate, the death was fresh but there were no signs of cuts from a sword. A hiss was heard from above, and a giant spider came from the ceiling but rather than attack it skittered away as if something else had its attention. The party followed the spider and as they continued more and more spiders slithered down and crawled away rather than fight them. Once they reached an opened area, they saw quite a sight…giant spiders fighting the darkspawn.

"Well that's not what you see every day…" Zevran said.

"This is common down here…darkspawn attacks everything not just dwarves and surfacers" Oghren said. "Looks like a good scrap…"

"Good fortune is one our side for once, we can slide pass while they're busy killing each other" Alistair said. A spider was then thrown against the rock wall with a splat. "We should hurry along quickly…I don't think the spiders will hold for much longer" The party ran pass the battle and saw more darkspawn corpses and spider husks, it looks like the darkspawn wondered into the nest and disturbed the spiders. As long as they were two preoccupied to notice them, they would be just fine. They made it to the thaig proper where an arrow flew past them, the party went to cover and saw wisps in the shape of dwarves.

"Demons?" Leliana asked.

"Not any I recognize…" Morrigan said. "You don't really hear about spirts and demons showing up in the Deep Roads due to the dwarves having a no connection to the Fade"

"They were rejected by the Stone" Oghren said. "Unworthy dwarves are rejected by the Stone so that their failings may not weaken her. They are unable to rest, and after their death they become rock wraiths or other shades…at least that's what the Memories say"

"As fascinating as this is…maybe we should focus on the undead dwarves attacking us" The party fought the sprits throughout the thaig. As one fell others came but they were made short work of. They continued on their way, at the center of the thaig they found a dwarf hunched over a darkspawn. Jenra accidently kicked a pebble and the dwarf looked up, turned around and saw the party. He ran away to a nearby tunnel and the party followed him, maybe he was from Branka's team. He turned around, the dwarf was pale and sickly…he was deformed and feral.

"Oh Maker's breath…the poor bastard…" Alistair said.

Jenra looked at him. "What?'

"You know the Taint, right? Well most people who contract it die within moments but there are some who manages to survive" he explained. "The result is they become ghouls…Duncan often told me that becoming was worse than death" Alistair looked around and saw the darkspawn bodies and saw that they had tooth marks. The dwarf had been eating the darkspawn for sustenance…what happen to get this man in a situation like this made the warden shudder.

"There's nothing for you here! It's mine! I've claimed it!" the dwarf said.

"Who are you? What are you doing down here?"

"You've come to take my claim! You surfacers are all alike: thieving scoundrels! Well, I found it first!"

Oghren scoffed. "Bah! He's a bloody scavenger, good as sodding gone"

"Begone, you! You'll bring the dark ones back, you will! They'll crunch your bones!" he said. "It's my claim, not yours! Crunch your bones!" The dwarf ran away.

"Well, that was a waste of time…" Morrigan said.

"Not likely…he might have seen where Branka went"

"He's out of his mind from the Taint, I doubt he remembers his own name much less remember a group of dwarves"

"He's in the early stages of ghouldom….he'll might be able to tell us something but not much" Alistair said. The party followed the tainted dwarf into the tunnels. At the end was the remnant of a room and what looked like a camp, judging from how addled the dwarf was…he didn't make the camp but merely came across it. The dwarf was in front of his riches, muttering and speaking to an imaginary person. He heard the party's footsteps; he turned and growled at them like a mad dog.

"Go away! This is mine! Only I gets to plunder its riches!"

"Is this Branka's campsite?" Jenra asked.

"Yep, I'd recognize her handiwork anywhere" Oghren said.

"It's mine! I'm the one who found it. I drove out the crawlers. Now it's mine"

"Like sodding hell!" Jenra calmed Oghren and came forward; he kneeled as the dwarf became defensive.

"We're not here to steal anything, I give you my word" That seemed to work as the dwarf calmed down.

"You…you won't take anything from Ruck? You won't take his shiny worms? Or his pretty rock?"

"I just want to talk, I won't take anything"

"Oh. Ruck not mind that, maybe…"

"So is Ruck your name?" Jenra asked.

"Yes, Ruck's my name. I do not hear it much, so sometimes I like to speak it out loud. Ruck! Ruck! Ruck!"

"When did you arrive here?"

"Too long ago, I must think…five years? Six? Ruck no longer remembers the smells and sights of the city" he said. "I keep to the shadows; they don't look in the shadows, not if you're quiet. Not if you eat their flesh"

"Then the dark ones think you're one of them, they leave you alone but now they're gone"

"Ruck, listen to me…I'm looking for someone and the clues might be here" Jenra said gently. "May search around here? I promise not to take anything"

"Okay, you're friend to Ruck" Jenra looked to the right and saw a makeshift table. On it was a journal; the cover was battered and torn but intact. He flipped through the desiccated pages until some text catch his eyes.

"We found evidence today that the Anvil of the Void was not built in the Ortan Thaig. We will go south, to the Dead Trenches. The Anvil is somewhere beyond"

"My soldiers tell me I am mad, that the Dead Trenches are crawling with darkspawn, that we will surely die before we find the Anvil…if we find it"

"I leave this here in case they're right. If I die in the Trenches, perhaps someone can yet walk past my corpse and retrieve the Anvil"

"For if it remains lost, so do we all"

"If I have not returned and Oghren yet lives, tell him…No, what I have to say should be for his ears alone"

"This is my farewell"

"Branka was thinking about me. I knew she still cared, the old softy" Oghren said. "Looks like the Dead Trenches is our next, stop then"

"They say the darkspawn nest is there, whole herds of 'em, but if that's where Branka went, then that's where I'm going. The party left Ruck alone and headed south to the Dead Trenches.


The Dead Trenches

Bownammar, also known as the City of the Dead was once the headquarters of the Legion of the Dead. The fortress was reclaimed by the dwarves and lost again to the darkspawn so many times that even the Memories cannot track it. Eventually it was permanently lost in 9:13 Dragon only with great regret. It is now called the Dead Trenches. Paragon Caridin designed it long ago and it is considered one of the finest works of the dwarves.

The party arrived in the Trenches; Jenra walked towards the cliff and looked down...his eyes went wide from the sight. Darkspawn…too many to count holding torches, roaring for more blood they can spill. Jenra and Alistair heard a deafening whisper in their heads and from below a large dragon flew from the Trenches. It landed on a perch and roared, the darkspawn below marched in perfect unison. The dragon flew up; leading the darkspawn like a general leads his men. They had gazed upon the Archdemon…and the only thing they could feel was fear…

Into the lion's den! Good luck Jenra…you'll need it! Next Time! As always, Review and Comment!